I feel bad saying this because I love Chris.....really amazing character that guy is....... but I know some other people who just didn't think the pizza was that amazing. Its pretty easy to find pizza just as good at a number of spots in NYC, so I think that throws the balance off for people who are expecting an out of body experience.

Forgot to respond to you, Scott... I'm wondering if part of the "problem" is the fact that Chris is in AZ, not NYC? It may be easy to find pizza just as good in NYC, but Chris isn't IN NYC. When you live in AZ, a trip across the country is probably not feasible for most. So, maybe there has been a build-up of unreasonable proportion when Chris' pizza is compared to the far-away NY pizza... or to the other local pizzerias?

Bicster, What if you didn't have to wait 3 hours...would the pizza have been worth it???

great question.

sadly, the wait was the best part of the experience. i waited with the exact same anticipation as for: star wars episode 1, med school acceptance letter, my wife coming down the aisle, and sourdough girl's insightful replies......

but no, i would not go back, sans wait. i would, however, go back for appetizers. the olives are out of this world.

I understand how some people could be slightly underwhelmed, but I still think P Bianco is at least in the top 10 pizzerias in this country. I don't mean this with any disrespect, but I would love to hear a list of your preferred places, just so I can make sure I have tried them. I have a pretty serious list under my belt already since I have traveled quite a bit throughout the US with my job.

I understand how some people could be slightly underwhelmed, but I still think P Bianco is at least in the top 10 pizzerias in this country. I don't mean this with any disrespect, but I would love to hear a list of your preferred places, just so I can make sure I have tried them. I have a pretty serious list under my belt already since I have traveled quite a bit throughout the US with my job.

i would list him in the top 1 or 2 as far as passion, dedication, and knowledge go. scott, what was your initial reaction, after your 1st bite of PB?

i have nowhere near the pizza joint experience you do, but at least for me, i love coal fired pizza. there is nowhere unique on my top 5 list, they have all been mentioned on this board before. conversely, as many on this board would say, my favorite pizza comes from my kitchen.

I have not tried PB, but I did have Una Pizza Napoletana a few weeks ago. This was suppose to be one of the best in the country. We got two pies, the Margherita and the Bianca. The Bianca was out of this world...the best I've had. The Margherita, on the other hand, was just "very good". I honestly liked mine that I made at home better. But is this due to the 2 years that I've been working on this pie...making dough every week, tweaking, researching, experimenting...pouring my blood, sweat and tears into this endeavor?

IN the end, I'm glad we went...but I was anticipating a life-altering pizza pilgrimage that would make me proclaim, "I see the light!"

Who's right in the end though? The guy behind the counter that made it? Or the person eating it?

Sorry, Terry, I didn't mean any disrespect to you folks in other countries... it was merely my way of pointing out one of his basic freedoms in the U.S.... the freedom to say that he doesn't like Chris' pizza.

Don't worry I didn't feel disrespected, I just think that sometimes Americans "forget" that there are plenty of countries that are just as free(or more) than the US. Not to hijack the thread, but that's just a pet peeve of mine. It's his right as a human being, not as an American.

I haven't eaten at Pizzeria Bianco, but I completely agree with Chris`s pizza philosophy. The pictures and videos I have seen of his pizza sure look good and he seems to have uncompromising standards for his ingredients. I just don`t see how it couldn't`t be at least, very good if not excellent. Was it too subtle for you?

Who's right in the end though? The guy behind the counter that made it? Or the person eating it?

If you are charging money for your goods/services, the person eating it (paying) is right. I write that with a bit of caution, however, as this philosophy has infiltrated my profession as well, which is very scary.

After so many years in the retail food industry and having this "ideology" shoved down my throat even when the customer is WRONG, I have to agree with Mike. Perhaps bicster could share with us his profession where it is "very scary" that the customer is right? My curiosity gets the best of me, sorry....

With hours-long lines out the door in the blazing sun, Chris must be doing something RIGHT, otherwise there would be no lines.

After so many years in the retail food industry and having this "ideology" shoved down my throat even when the customer is WRONG, I have to agree with Mike. Perhaps bicster could share with us his profession where it is "very scary" that the customer is right? My curiosity gets the best of me, sorry....

With hours-long lines out the door in the blazing sun, Chris must be doing something RIGHT, otherwise there would be no lines.

~sd

I definitely don't agree with the customer is always right philosophy. If the customer is wrong, I tell them they are wrong.

I'm pretty sure this is related and I think this point should be addressed. The other night I was watching TV and I came across a show called "the Oprah Effect". To sum it up, the show was highlighting the fact that almost all of the products that appeared on her show were instant successes after the show. They had an example of a soap company that sent their products in for two years and the show kept rejecting them. The soap company got a call one day from the show saying "send us products for all of our audience members". The company sent over $15K worth of products. After Oprah talked about the said product and the show ended, the phones lit up at the soap company. Sales went through the roof!

I think the same could be said for Martha Stewart and "The Martha Effect". These shows have the power to transform something small, into a nationwide trend and phenomenon.

So, not discounting the quality or passion of PB and Chris, but, to some degree, has Pizzeria Bianco undergone a transformation due to these shows?

If you are charging money for your goods/services, the person eating it (paying) is right. I write that with a bit of caution, however, as this philosophy has infiltrated my profession as well, which is very scary.

I would have to disagree with this...After thinking about it, I think it is the person making the product that is right. It's their palate, their product, and their vision. Apizza Scholls in Portland is a very specific style of pizza. It has a good deal of char and explains that "it's not all things to all people". Peter Reinhart's new pizza place in Carolina also states this too. In the end though, it is the customer that will either agree or disagree with the product and use their voting power to have their voice heard.

But in regards to taste, I don't really think one can argue about taste. You can serve, what some people might consider, the perfect food in a restaurant, there will always people who dislike it. Same goes for music, some like Rock over Jazz, some find Opera more exciting than Blues. In terms of pizza, I'm sure there are some who prefer Pizza Hut over Bianco's pies even if that's hard to believe.

Logged

Mike

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein